Runes - The Programming Language of Arrays

"Haha, you are truly a monster. You will always be a monster!" Vice Head Zhang boisterously laughed, his voice booming like the perpetual thunder from the Floating Crest Palace.

He palmed his forehead, his head reeling as he glanced at the confident youth who had a satisfied smirk.

"I know it's just a figure of speech but calling me a monster is making me uncomfortable, teacher," Zhao Wei said innocently, his Dao of Shamelessness once again showing signs of reaching the realm of perfection.

The bald old man's face reddened in anger and it was only due to his cultivated self-control that he resisted smacking Zhao Wei's handsome face into a baboon's glaring butt.

"Hmph, I can call you whatever I want, you shameless brat!" Vice Head Zhang snorted in disdain.

"You think I don't know that you secretly enjoy being called a monster."

Zhao Wei couldn't hold back his scoff. "It's not about being arrogant or egotistical but I have heard too many praises that they have grown stale in my ears."

The way Zhao Wei talked with such freedom and nonchalance made Vice Head Zhang arch his almost nonexistent brows.

He was surprised by his boldness. Although somehow rude, he found it interesting. He saw some of his younger self in him. A reminiscent expression temporarily appeared on his old face before it immediately disappeared.

'I have to admit that my old friend's evaluation of him wasn't totally unfounded. In theory alone, he's a step ahead of his generation but it isn't enough. For him to actualize his potential in the Dao of Arrays, he needs more knowledge and experience. That means... more books.' Vice Head Zhang analyzed while caressing his white beard.

Just moments ago, he had tested the young man and he had met all the basic requirements and mindset needed to pursue the Dao of Arrays. Vice Head Zhang felt that it would be more beneficial if the bratty youth were exposed to more knowledge. He wanted to unearth more of Zhao Wei's potential. His instincts told him that the youth held more surprises.

'What if he's limitless? What if he can theoretically pursue whatever he wants? Could such an individual exist in this reality?' A weird thought surfaced inside his mind but he secretly laughed it off as just pure hubris from his imagination.

Standing up from his seat, Vice Head Zhang glanced at Zhao Wei and reached a conclusion.

"I think that you have more to learn. Don't you think it would be a waste if you didn't fully utilize your rare gift?" Vice Head Zhang suggested with a rare smile.

"Teacher, it's as if you have always known me," Zhao Wei's expression mellowed as his eyes twinkled with unlimited cuteness.

Vice Head Zhang's face morphed into pure disgust, his mouth comically opened as if he was struggling to vomit. "Heavens~ please for the love of my ancestors, don't ever show that face in my presence!"

Zhao Wei blanked out for a second after witnessing the oh-so-familiar meme-worthy expression.

"Okay, I will keep that in mind as long as..." Zhao Wei began in a mirthful voice but he deliberately stopped mid-sentence.

"As long as what?"

"There's nothing more to say."

"Hehe, I will not be played by you. Consider me no longer interested."

***

A few minutes later, the two men were seen in a small study room filled with only aged manuals and scripts.

"This is my humble collection of anything array-related. The previous books were just mere appetizers. This is the advanced stuff that I can offer you before you delve into the practical side of things." Vice Head Zhang gestured his hands around the room as he introduced the small library.

Zhao Wei casually scanned the hundreds of books and internally nodded to himself.

'Every piece of valuable knowledge is a gift. Not bad.'

"Why do you think about my collection?" Vice Head Zhang casually asked.

"Not disappointing, I guess?" Zhao Wei smiled.

Vice Head Zhang gave him a stinky side eye before a small chuckle escaped his lips.

"Suit yourself, brat. If you find any trouble in digesting some of the knowledge, you can find me outside." Vice Head Zhang patted the young man's shoulder before he walked toward the door.

"Don't ruin any of the books or you will suffer my infinite wrath!" He then added without looking back, his voice carrying a hidden threat.

The bald old man wasn't joking, Zhao Wei understood.

"It seems he loves his book collection so much. What is this? Another Joe effing Goldberg in a cultivation universe?" Zhao Wei mumbled in a light tone.

"Anyway, I would also not want anyone to mess with my collection or any of my things. Some basic decency and respect won't cost a dime."

Without further ado, Zhao Wei began to read through the books. He took his time to internalize the concepts behind some insightful approaches toward arrays. He didn't need to rush.

The earlier knowledge he had gained was further augmented, feeling the holes in certain aspects of his knowledge. He couldn't know everything but he could always improve and update his repertoire of information.

"It is now that I am realizing that the novels that I have previously read rarely ventured much into formations and runes." Zhao Wei began to recall the Xianxia-themed stories he had read.

Only a few had a satisfactory introduction of the Dao of Arrays and the main characters would always neglect these auxiliary paths to pursue their strongest path. In King of Gods, Zhao Feng had the opportunity to pursue both Alchemy and Art of Formations but he remained steadfast in the Martial Dao. However, it was quite pitiful since the path he took was ultimately a path that stemmed from a dead Great Dao expert — the inevitable creator of the illusory Fan Universe. Even if he pursued other paths, it was only after he had reincarnated into a "real universe".

Talisman Emperor Chen Xi, at first, particularly practiced the Great Dao of Talisman for hundreds of chapters before he became another typical sword wielder like Chu Kuangren and Jian Wushuang (Protagonist of Unparalleled after Ten Consecutive Draws and Legend of the Swordsman respectively). Of course, Ji Ning, the Autarch Omega Sword Dao Expert, and Yang Ye, MC of Almighty Sword Domain, couldn't be forgotten as they were the 'epitome of swordsmanship'.

"One sword to rule them all," Zhao Wei chuckled at his poor choice of reference.

The Dao of Swords was famous for a reason. It embodied the hot-bloodedness of the xianxia protagonists as they stayed true to their convictions while defying the laws of heaven.

"With a sword in my hand, I shall cleave open the closed gates of immortality." With a book in one hand, Zhao Wei posed like an experienced swordsman, his imaginary sword pointing toward the cruel and unjust heavens.

He smiled and cringed at his own silly act but since he was alone in the room, he could do whatever he wanted as long as he didn't ruin the old man's collection.

"Well, that was pretty childish. Maybe I am reliving my childhood." Zhao Wei fingered his cheek in absent-mindedness before he decided to finish reading all the tomes, manuals, and scripts inside the room.

After putting away the last massive tome, Zhao Wei released a soft sigh. He was enlightened. His eyes were now open — introduced to a whole new world of mysteries and wonder.

The Dao of Arrays and Formations was truly a path that could encompass or complement other paths. And within the Dao of Arrays, there existed three branches namely: Runic Inscriptions, Talisman creation, and Formations. Those three branches shared vast similarities hence they could be considered to be One.

Runic Inscriptions were just a form of array but on a smaller scale. They incorporated mysterious symbols called runes. Runes were a type of special language that could interact with Heaven and Earth. An Inscription Master had to have a basic mastery of this language to, at least, interact or draw power from the obscure laws of nature. In more refined terms, from Zhao Wei's former world perspective, runes were like a programming language, without it, we can't hope to better communicate with the computer and create algorithms. Without runes, a runic inscription was pretty much nonexistent. The runic inscription was the final byproduct of different interactions of runic symbols. A runic inscription could be drawn on an artifact/weapon, pill, random object, or even the body. However, this path was extremely difficult, laden with many twists and turns. It was like a xianxia version of Quantum Physics.

Talisman Creation involved talisman papers and a talisman brush. Each talisman was made with multiple strokes and lines. Generally, the greater the number of strokes and lines, the higher the quality and power of the finished talisman. It required extreme precision, perfect control, and sharp senses. It was through Talisman Creation that Zhao Wei realized the importance of Calligraphy and Painting. There have been quite a few books that touched upon these two artistic concepts. Talismans had various effects that ranged from attack, defense, movement, escape, communication, and storage.

Lastly, we had Formations which were known by many as they were the most used. There exist two categories of formations: Natural Formations and Man-made Formations. Natural Formations were those created by nature and they were the most difficult to decipher or break while Man-made Formations were those deliberately set by an array master. Objects, especially weapons, could be used to set up different types of formations. Heck, even stones could be used as long as you have the focus, foundation, and knowledge of what you are doing. Formations were mostly large-scale compared to both Runic Inscriptions and Talisman Creation.

All in all, to draw formations, inscribe runes, and finally, to create talismans, one was required to have a strong soul that was more than average. Their mental energy or spirit Force also had to be a lot lest they suffer a severe backlash. That isn't a good ending, right?

"If performing a runic inscription on a physical body is possible, how about the domain of the soul?"

"Will it be possible to use my body and soul as a Talisman?"

"What if I could hypothetically draw a formation capable of showing the effects of eternal life?"

Zhao Wei let his imagination run wild. His hypotheses were merely unrealistic but still within the realm of possibility from his perspective. However, at his current strength, his thoughts could only be categorized as mere dreams of a child who had yet to understand the world around him.

The Great Dao of Arrays was truly a pathway to many reality-shattering abilities!

Zhao Wei was determined to do all sorts of research.

"The Great Dao is interesting." His silver eyes twinkled with an insane gleam like a mad scientist of sorts.

After making sure that everything was in the right place, Zhao Wei then moved out of the room with an anticipatory look on his face.

"Well, let's see what I can do with this newfound knowledge."

***

Enjoy!

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